Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-08-18
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN AT WORK.
What American Women Are Doing To-
wards Earning Their Own Livingstone
Interesting Facts and Figures.

wards Earning Their Own Livingstone
Interesting Facts and Figures
From lengthy and able article by
Ada c. Sweet, in the Chicago Magazine,
on American women as breadwinners,
we condense the following:
The census of 1880 gives the number
of women and girls working at gain
full occupations as 2,647,157. OF
these women 534, 900 are agricultural
laborers. 526.S34 being employed in
the old slave States, working in cotton
and rice fields; and on corn, tobacco,
rice and cane plantations. These agri-
cultural laborers in the South are all
colored women, and besides them there
are 62,64S colored women working
in cotton factories, sorghum mills, to-
bacco curing, and manufacturing es-
adjustments and in all stores, ware
houses and yards in the South where
heavy manual labor is needed.
To the American, glance at these
dusky thousands suggests many
thoughts and many hard problem.
In the North there are 5000 women
employed as agricultural laborers
working in fields AMI gardens at
farming. beekeeping, dairy work,
fruit and berry raising, and vineyards
and hopyards.
There are 10S, 1913 laundresses, and
as before stated, 93S, $40 domestic serv-
ants. The cotton, silk and wooden
mills employ 1922 women. Boot
and shoe factories, 21,007. Clerks,
saleswomen and accountants in stores
number 1881. Dressmakers and
milliners are given as numbering 1884,
026. Under this head doubtless many
plain sewing women are counted.
In great many branches of manu-
featuring women are employed in
large numbers. Thousands work in
establishments for making agricultural
implements; in book binderies and
printing offices. Thousands work fol-
carpet-makers, cigar-makers, clock
and watch-makers, confectioners, cor.
set makers, glove-makers, gold and
silver workers, harness and saddle.
makers, hat and cap makers, straw
workers, and so on in all the trades
and occupations.
Women are at work by thousands az
book-keepers and accountants, and a.
operators in telegraph and telephone
offices. Women are acting as com
mercial travellers, and as book agent.
as commercial brokers, bankers, rail
way officials and employees, packers
manufacturers and officials of manu-
featuring companies. There are a.,
465 commercial dealers and traders
1924 nurses, 10000 boarding-hous,
keepers, and 2,136 hotel-keepers
Women are architects, chemists, assay
ers, dentists, designers, draughtsmen
engravers and inventors. One thou
sand six hundred and fifteen are EN-
ployers of charitable institutions, 2S|
are professional journalists, 800 ar,
authors, 2,061 are artists and teacher
of art 1920 are actresses, and IS, IS.
are professional musicians or teacher
of music, 5, 1874 are Government clerks
and 2,171 are officers of the Govern
ment. There are 2,4S2 women physi
clans and surgeons, rs lawyers, ant
los ministers of religion, PIG stock
raisers, and Sc, 800 free and independ
ent farmers and planters.
There are 154,S75 women teachers
5000 more women being engaged il
teaching than men.
1t is useless to continue the catalogue
of trades, manufactures, industries AM
professions in which women are find
ing means of livelihood. The gate
are wide open, and any work that an,
individual woman thinks herself capa
BILE of, she is at liberty to try an,
prove success or n failure at it. eyel
as men are trying themselves contin
ually, and thus proving their power o
limitations.
This great change in the outlook an,
opportunities of women has not bee
accomplished without great difficulty
The young woman who goes out in tn
world to earn her living now, meet
few of the trials and encouragement
that hindered every step of the woma
on a similar errand in times within tn
memory of many people living, an
not yet old.
The women who first went to wor
in the United States Treasury Depart
meut rs clerks, walked every mornin
and afternoon through crowd of jeel
ing laughers, who collected at tn
doors of the treasury building to Sc
them come and 60 to and from thei
work.
In Boston when women were frs
introduced into printing offices q
type-sctters, the printers formed an a.
ISOLATION, of which one of the rule
was that no member should work
any establishment where women wer
: employed.
There are thousands Of unskille
hands and unframed minds. so man,
thata really competent man or woma
is of great value in any place he or 81
is fitted for.
No time nor opportunity should
lost for saying to young women, ;
well as young men, learn some OIL
thing to do, and do it well. Nal
yourself indispensable somewhere, an
just, or at least reasonably fair, con
e pensation is sure to be yours.
= The pecuniary independence
: women, however moderate might
l their earnings, if assured to all. won
= help to settle some of the very grave
: problems of social life. At presen
e every year is adding thousands to Il
: ranks of working-women. II
. ''clinging vine" is felt to be not exac
E ly an apt quotation where an Americs